The Struggles of Neil Raymond: The Warrior Behind The Gentleman
Disclaimer: I don't own the Bloodlines series. All credit goes to Richelle Mead for creating such amazing characters.
Chapter One
I awoke suddenly to a loud, impatient knock at my door. I got out of my soft, comfortable bed and walked across the small, bare room to answer it.
"Who is it?" I called. I wouldn't be opening the door unless I got an answer.
"It's me," said a voice. I knew the voice well and I didn't particularly want to hear it again. I slowly opened the door and stepped back, allowing my visitor into the room.
"Why are you here?" I asked him curiously. Guardian Edward Brown scowled at me nastily. He was one of the highest ranking guardians in our small base outside Devon.
"Should you really be talking to your superiors like that, Guardian Raymond?" he asked sneering.
An uncharacteristic scowl spread across my face. Brown was a year younger than me and had just finished school several months ago so I did not really regard him as my superior.
I decided to shift the topic back to why he was here in the first place and avoid his remark.
"To answer your question, I'm here to tell you about your new assignment." he said before I could say anything.
"Couldn't it have waited until later?" I asked slightly annoyed looking at the small alarm clock on my desk. It was only four in the morning.
"No," he said flatly "You have to catch a plane in four hours."
"Excuse me?" I asked because he couldn't be serious.
"You heard me. Now, I will explain the assignment before you go to the airport."
I simply nodded and waited for him to continue.
"Well," he began "You know that queen Vasilisa's sister Princess Jillian was taken into hiding a few months ago?"
"Yes," I said warily "But what does that have to do with me? They already sent a guardian with her, didn't they?"
He nodded "Yes, but the alchemist there seems to think that they need another guardian so they are sending you to Palm Springs where they are staying."
The alchemists, for those of you who don't know, are a society of humans who keep the world of vampires secret from humans.
"So, I'm going today?" I asked to clarify it.
"Yes," Brown agreed and I nodded in understanding.
It had been a while since my last assignment and I was bored of this small base where nothing interesting ever happened.
An hour after my briefing with Brown, I was sitting in the small airport which was a few miles from our base. I was looking at the passport that they had given to me.
I had been very surprised to find my real name on it because Brown had said that all of the other people with Jillian had been given fake names.
I also had their fake names written down so that I could ask the school's administrative office if I couldn't find them on my own. He had also told me their real names in case I didn't have to ask the school.
I sighed. I was very bored and needed something to read. I moved to the nearest of the airport's shops and bought a book about marcial arts. It would keep me busy, hopefully.
The flight landed in Palm Springs in the afternoon and I got a taxi the rest of the way to Amberwood Prep, the private school where princess Jillian and her companions were staying.
When I got there I began to wheel the small suitcase I had brought towards a building which looked like it could contain offices.
"Need some help with that?" said a friendly voice from behind me I realized from his voice that I would have to get used to Americans now that I was away from my home country. I turned to face him and saw that he was a boy of about eighteen and as I studied him I knew that he was a dhampir like me.
"Are you Eddie Castile?" I asked him. He looked at me warily for a moment and then realized that I was also a dhampir.
"Yes," he said at last "Who are you?"
"Guardian Neil Raymond." I said pleasantly offering my hand for him to shake. He took it and we shook hands.
"Why are you here, Guardian Raymond?" Eddie asked, confusion showing clearly in his sharp hazel eyes.
I explained to him what Brown had said about the alchemist's claim that Princess Jillian wasn't safe enough.
"What!?" he asked furiously, "She said that?"
"Yes, that is what my superiors told me anyway. Oh, and no need for titles. You can call me Neil."
Eddie still looked irritated but all he said was: "You should meet the others, come on."
Seeing no better plan I followed him to meet the others.
Author's Note: Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I wrote anything on FanFiction. For any of you who read my other story, A Meeting of Minds, I'm not giving up on it, I've just been really busy with school and things but I will finish it. I decided to do this fanfiction because not many authors write stories with Neil as the main character.
Anyway, thanks a lot for reading my first chapter. I would apreciate it if you would leave me a review to tell me what you thought, hunterofartemis126 (Nicolaclair). Nicolaclair is my real first name, by the way.